


Lessons

by Nyxate



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, Seemingly Unrequited (?), Slow Dancing, more like both of them thinking the other could never love them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25219594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyxate/pseuds/Nyxate
Summary: “Hate to break it to ya boss, but I don’t know how to dance.”“Well, I’m sure someone could teach you.”
Relationships: Reno/Rude (Compilation of FFVII)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 53





	1. Nervous

**Author's Note:**

  * For [samatoki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/samatoki/gifts).



> hello girls and gays! this is a fic for my close friend ao3 user samatoki because it's her birthday today. ♡
> 
> we have a headcanon that the higher up Shinra employees (so, the Turks and people like Scarlet, Heidegger, etc.) have a choice of living in a building connected to the Shinra HQ that's like an apartment building. but a /really/ nice apartment building, their rooms are a decent size and they have bathrooms. Reno and Rude live across from each other because, you know. partners and all. :) Only the Turks actually use this building because everyone else actually owns a house.
> 
> thats all for now, thank you ♡

“Hate to break it to ya boss, but I don’t know how to dance.”

The Turks office was silent, save for the current conversation Reno was having with Tseng. The redhead was laying down on the couch, limbs splayed in a position that one would probably think to be uncomfortable if it wasn’t Reno. Tseng sat in his usual place behind his desk, hands folded as he stared down the man on the couch. He briefly glanced over at Rude, who was sitting at the computer desk, typing up a report and ignoring their conversation for the most part.

“Well, I’m sure someone could teach you.”

Reno snorted at Tseng’s words, causing the older man to give an annoyed sigh. He waved his hand around dismissively in the air, shaking his head. “Yeah, okay, sure thing man. Who the hell knows how to slow dance anymore?”

“The one who will be going on your mission with you.” Tseng had a matter-of-fact tone to his voice, once again glancing over at Rude, who now seemed to be actually paying attention. His chair was turned slightly, fingers no longer typing. “You know how to slow dance, don’t you Rude?”

“What?” Reno sat up a little abruptly, not giving himself enough force to get all the way up and falling back down, hitting his head on the arm of the couch. “Ow,  _ shit _ ,” He hissed under his breath, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up slowly this time. “I don’t believe that for a second. I know tons of things about this guy, I’d definitely know if he could slow dance.”

Reno kept his gaze on Rude as the other sighed, turning back to face the computer screen. He was quiet for a moment, typing up another sentence before simply saying, “I do.”

“Huh?!” The redhead shot up to his feet, almost losing his balance once again but managing to even himself out. “You’re fucking with me.”

“See? I told you.” Reno looked back at Tseng, who had a slight smile on his face at the other’s reaction to this new information. “Since he’ll be going on this mission with you, he’ll be your teacher.” Tseng ignored the glare he got from Reno, picking up his stack of papers and hitting the bottoms against the desk so they formed into a neat pile. He then stood up, holding the stack against his chest with one arm and pushing in his chair. “That won’t be a problem, will it?”

Reno knew he wasn’t talking to him but instead to Rude, but that didn’t stop him from speaking up. “I don’t get a say in this? Like, at all?”

“What’s the problem? He’s been your partner for years.” The redhead absolutely hated the tone in Tseng’s voice, it was one he recognized well. One that said he was right, and that there would be no arguing about it. No matter how much he wanted to. Tseng didn’t even wait for him to answer, heading for the door of the office. “Now if you excuse me, I have a meeting with the VP.”

With an annoyed sigh, Reno watched their boss leave the room, sitting himself back down on the couch with his arms crossed. It wasn’t like there was anything inherently  _ wrong _ with having Rude teach him how to dance. How to  _ slow dance. _ Rude had been his partner for years now and they were incredibly close. Reno would say without a doubt that Rude was the person he was closest too, and he would dare say the same for the other. Or he would hope, at least. There was always a fear in the back of his head that he wasn’t as important to Rude as Rude was to him.

Maybe that’s what he didn’t really like about this idea.

To say Reno was in love with Rude was an understatement. He had been hopelessly infatuated with him for what feels like forever to him. When he and Rude had been paired together years ago, he had cracked jokes such as how he “couldn’t believe he got stuck with such a hot co-worker” and that it was his “lucky day”. Rude hadn’t appreciated the jokes, or at least Reno didn’t think he did, the man staying silent and not acknowledging him at all. It had almost worried him, making him think that he’d have to get yet another partner replaced because they didn’t get along at all.

Sometimes he wished that had been the case.

“We don’t have to.” Rude’s voice snapped Reno out of his thoughts, turning his attention towards the other. They were the only two in the room now. Rude wasn’t even looking in his direction, his eyes still focused on the screen in front of him. “If you don’t want to.” There was something in his voice Reno couldn’t really place, and it bothered him. He felt like he could read Rude pretty well despite his tendency to keep a mostly-stoic face and an even tone of voice.

Reno could vividly remember the first time he ever made Rude laugh. They had been partners for about two months and Rude hadn’t really shown any sign of liking Reno. At least that’s what Reno had thought, because it wouldn’t be the first time someone had put up with him for a few months until they couldn’t take it anymore. Part of him had even wondered what it would take to make Rude break, because he seemed pretty well-composed, even when he made rookie mistakes. He figured sooner or later he’d get fed up with Reno’s fast pace and frequency to do things on the fly.

Which was exactly what had happened then- Reno chasing after someone and trying to think fast to cut them off from their escape. He had tried to get up a wall with a running start, severely underestimating how tall it was and missing the ledge he was trying to grab just by a hair. He fell back, making an exasperated  _ oof _ sound when he landed, rolling onto his side. Trying to get up as quickly as he could while ignoring the pain he felt, he stopped in his tracks at the sound of low, quiet laughter. He turned his head to see Rude with the slightest smile on his face bending down to grab Reno’s magrod, which had fallen out of the other’s hand and skidded across the floor. Reno blinked a few times before a grin spread across his face, making his way over to the other man and holding out his hand. “Thought that was funny, huh? You could’ve at least tried to catch me.”

Recalling the memory made him feel warm. He liked it when Rude dropped his serious face, it felt nice to see him smile or laugh and just wind down in general. He  _ especially _ liked it when it was his own doing- making Rude laugh at something stupid he did or a joke he told. Even when they bantered with each other and Rude took a stab at his height or the way he acted, he liked it way more than someone normally would.

“Reno?” Once again he snapped out of it at the sound of Rude’s voice. The other was good at doing that- getting Reno’s attention and pulling him out of deep thoughts, sometimes unwanted ones.

“Sorry, partner. Just thinking, you know how it is.” Reno stood up, stretching his arms before making his way over to Rude. “I feel like I don’t have much of a choice anyways, y'know?” He draped his arms over Rude’s shoulders, leaning forward a bit to look at what he was writing on the screen. It was some report about a mission they had just done, one that the redhead himself was supposed to write, but with a few bats of his eyelashes and a promise of doing the next one (which never happened) he managed to get Rude to do it for him. He was way better at doing them anyways, since he had the patience Reno didn’t possess. “Tseng’s not gonna give this mission to anyone else. No one’s as good as us.”

Rude only hummed in response, going back to finishing whatever he was typing before submitting it. Reno pulled off of him once Rude needed to get up, leaning against the table instead. He knew Rude never really minded how touchy he was, feeling like they were close enough that it didn’t even matter anymore. Reno wasn’t like that with too many people, not on the same level anyways. He’d touch the arms of his fellow Turks or put a hand on their shoulders to emphasize something he was talking about, but he frequently just draped himself all over Rude, whether it be laying his legs across Rude’s own when they were both on the couch or leaning against him like he was a wall. It hadn’t always been that way, but the closer they got and the more Reno realized how much he liked Rude, little touches here and there turned into lingering ones. But Rude never pushed him away, never said it was too much, and Reno never went too far either. They were just comfortable with each other, and Reno didn’t plan on pushing any boundaries.

“So, why do you know how to slow dance?” Reno decided now was a good time to ask, watching the other push his chair in and looking up at him once he turned around. “Or is it some big secret?” There was no need for him to know other than he’d die of curiosity if he didn’t find out. He was sure there was still plenty he didn’t know about Rude, but whenever he found out something new he had to know how and why.

“My mother taught me when I was younger.” Rude shrugged, moving his hand up to adjust the shades on his face. “I guess it just stuck.”

“Why would you need to…” Reno trailed off, thinking about it. He didn’t really know much about Rude’s family, it was a topic he didn’t like to talk about so he never really asked. “Nah, nevermind. So,” He stopped leaning against the table and took a step forward, resting his hands on his hips. “When do you wanna start teaching me?”

“You really want to?” Rude sounded surprised, and at that Reno laughed.

“Like I said, I don’t think I have a choice, buddy.” He started to walk towards the door, neither of them really having a reason to be in there anymore. He leaned against the door frame once the automatic door opened, glancing back over at his partner who was grabbing his gloves. Rude always took them off when he was writing reports and when Reno had asked why, he didn’t really get an answer. It was just something he did. “How long until this mission?”   
  
“A week.”

“Oh yeah, I’m gonna be the best slow dancer you’ve ever seen by the end of this week.” The redhead said with a grin on his face, though he couldn’t help but feel nervous. He’s never slow danced in his entire life, so he was going into this with no experience at all. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what it was either- he’s seen people do it in movies and other things like that. The thought of being so  _ close _ to Rude didn’t help with this feeling.

“We can start tonight.” Reno’s smile faltered just a bit, but quickly made it wider in hopes the other didn’t notice. “If that’s alright.”

“More than alright, partner.”

* * *

Maybe this wasn’t going to be alright.

Reno found himself sitting on his bed hours later, feeling way more nervous than he was earlier. He and Rude had gone their separate ways for the rest of the day, Rude having errands to run while he went and sparred with lower class soldiers to get rid of the pent-up energy he had. He thought that maybe it would’ve helped get rid of this nervous feeling, but as the hours ticked down he felt himself feeling even worse. Now he was sitting there, the fabric of his shirt bunched up in his hands as he tried to pull himself together. It was just  _ slow dancing. _ He could get through this.

Standing up, he smoothed out his shirt the best he could. He had changed into casual clothes, not really wanting to be in a suit when he was going to be so up close and personal with someone else. It was different when he and Rude were on the job, because he usually didn’t feel like he was going to burn up just by being in his vicinity.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door of his Shinra-assigned apartment, looking across the hall at Rude’s door. It took exactly seven steps to reach it, something he had counted more times than he could remember. If he was drunk, it took at least double that. He lifted his hand up to knock, hyper-focused on the feeling of that sleek Shinra material under his knuckles instead of the tight feeling in his chest. The door clicked open and he was met with Rude standing in front of him. “Hey there, partner.” He slipped in through the little amount of room there was between Rude and the door, sitting himself down on Rude’s bed like it was his own. Something about Rude made him feel less nervous and Reno thought the other man just always had that effect on him. His presence was calming and felt like home. “Ready to get this started?”

Rude just nodded, shutting his door and turning to face Reno, who looked up at him from where he was sitting. He tried to read what Rude was feeling, and that started to make him feel nervous again. His face seemed unchanging as he reached his hand out to Reno, who hesitated for just a moment. “Such a gentleman, aren’t you?” The redhead teased, trying to make it seem like he wasn’t the most nervous he had ever been in his life. Well, maybe he was exaggerating, but at the moment he felt like he was going to die. He had been helped up by Rude plenty of times, but something about right now, something about Rude taking his hand so gently and helping him up off his bed really made him feel like he was going to collapse. Despite that, he had a stupid grin on his face, trying to hide how he felt like he was going to evaporate.

“Here.” Reno almost jumped at Rude moving his own hand up to gently grab at his wrist, guiding his hand to rest on his arm. He blinked a few times, tensing ever so slightly when that same hand let go of his wrist and was placed on his waist. He should’ve expected this, and maybe part of him did, which is why he felt so incredibly nervous. Now that it was happening he felt like he was melting.

“At least take me out to dinner first.” He brought the hand he had on Rude’s arm down to tap at the hand on his waist with one finger, before bringing it back up. Again he tried to hide how he was feeling by lacing his voice with a teasing tone. He could only hope that his face wasn’t burning up. He looked up at Rude, who was still wearing those shades. Reno so badly wanted to take them off, but he thought  _ that _ would actually kill him.

“Need your other hand.” Was Rude’s response, clearly choosing to dismiss Reno’s words. The redhead made a little ‘hmph’ sound, lips pursing in a fake pout at being ignored. It almost made him feel worse, but he knew Rude always went into some sort of no-nonsense mode when he was trying to teach something.

Reno reached his right hand up, splaying it out and wiggling his fingers. “All yours.”

The feeling of Rude’s hand wrapping around his and then lacing their fingers together made Reno feel maybe about a hundred different emotions at once. First it was a warm feeling which quickly turned into nervousness, spiralling down and forming a pit in his stomach. The realization of it all- Rude’s hand on his waist, their fingers laced together, how  _ close _ they were- it was too much. He looked down at the ground, trying to hide his face under his bangs since he didn’t have his goggles to hold them back.

“Are you alright?” Rude’s voice cut through his racing mind, and he looked up at him almost immediately. His eyes widened a bit when he realized just how close they were, taking a step back- or at least, he tried to but the grip Rude had on his waist stopped him.

“Y-Yeah, sorry. Just not uh…” He tried to think of what to even say. That he felt like he was going to die if he stayed this close to him? That he really,  _ really _ liked the feeling of their hands laced together? “Not used to be so close to someone like this, y’know?”

“Right.” If Rude saw through his lie, he didn’t say anything and his face didn’t change. What he  _ did _ do was pull Reno just a little closer before speaking again. “I need you to try and follow my steps.” His voice had gotten a bit quieter, but Reno didn’t say anything about it. “Think you can do that?”

“Huh? No music or anything?”

“Not yet. I need you to just follow my lead first.”

“How come you get to lead?” Reno huffed, looking away and pretending he was annoyed to try and hide the fact that his mind was still racing. That made Rude laugh quietly and Reno felt the vibrations through Rude’s hands on him

“Because I actually know what I’m doing.” A pause. “And I’m taller.”

“Okay, no way you have to be taller in order to lead a slow dance, or whatever.” Reno turned his attention back to him, leaning his neck back a bit so he could fully look up at him. Yeah, sure, Rude had a whole head and a half of height on him but that sounded like some kind of stupid rule. “Sounds unfair to me.”

“Not my problem.” Rude looked down at their feet and moved so that they were in the right position. “Let’s start.” Reno’s head was fuzzy at whatever words came after that, trying to focus on the instructions and numbers and whatever the hell Rude was trying to say instead of how close they were. He so desperately tried to focus on their movements, instead of how the hand on his waist was gripping a little tighter as they moved as if it was trying to guide him, or how their hands seemed to fit so perfectly together. He stayed completely silent save for the occasional “fuck, sorry” when he stepped on Rude’s shoes.

However much time passed felt like an eternity to Reno. Rude carefully guided him, didn’t get mad at him when he messed up and even counted to try and help him with the rhythm of their movements. It was so unfair how patient Rude was with him, Reno feeling as though he didn’t even deserve it most of the time. It was one of the many things on the list of reasons why the redhead was so deeply in love with him. It  _ scared _ him.

“Alright, that’s enough for tonight.” Reno was brought back to reality by his words, looking up at him and realizing that Rude had not only moved his hand off his waist, but he had unlaced their fingers. Reno immediately missed the warmth, wanting to reach back to him but knowing he couldn’t. He quickly composed himself and gave a sheepish grin, stepping back to sit on his bed again.

“Did I do good?” He said as he stretched, leaning back and hitting the mattress. “I’m a natural, aren’t I?” There was a slight nervousness still settled in his stomach, but it was mostly gone now that this was finally over with. He watched as Rude shook his head, giving a short laugh.

“Something like that.” Rude looked down at him, and Reno could feel his eyes on him even behind those shades. A silence fell between them for a brief moment before Rude finally spoke up again. “You don’t quite have it yet. I think you’ll get it if you come by again tomorrow night.”

“Again?” Reno sat up at that, another fake pout on his face as he tried to ignore the feeling in his stomach growing once more. He figured he wasn’t going to get it down in one night, but he also figured that he could just...practice by himself. Now that he thought about it though, it didn’t really make any sense. “Come ooon, you’re joking right?” He did step on him quite a lot, and he wasn’t really sure how well he followed the rhythm with how much he was in his own head.

“I’m serious. You’re not bad, but…” Rude trailed off, looking down at his shoes, his expression changing to an amused one. Reno felt his face heat up just barely, a little embarrassed at the fact that he really was just terrible at this whole slow dancing thing. “You just need some work.”

“Okay okay, I get it, I suck,” Reno groaned, running his fingers through his bangs before standing up off Rude’s bed. He crossed his arms, lips pursed in annoyance. Fake annoyance that is. “I’ll come back tomorrow night, or whatever you want me to do.”

“Only if you want to.” There it was again, that tone to Rude’s voice that Reno couldn’t place. It was going to drive him crazy.

“C’mon, I’m not just gonna ditch you man. Plus I don’t wanna look like that much of an idiot at whatever undercover thing we gotta do.” He hummed, a grin finding its way to his face. “Unless you won’t feel any kind of secondhand embarrassment, partner. Then maybe I don’t have to.”

Reno snickered at Rude rolling his eyes, the other gesturing towards his door. “That’s enough. I’d like to get to bed.”

“Kicking me out? So mean.” With a dramatic sigh that got ignored, Reno made his way to Rude’s door, opening it and standing there for a moment. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Maybe.” Was Rude’s response, though Reno knew that  _ maybe _ meant  _ yes _ because not a day went by where they didn't see each other. “Goodnight, Reno.”

“Nighty-night.” Reno gave him a friendly salute before shutting his door. Once he was finally in his own room he took a deep breath, his back hitting the door as he held his head in his hands. The feeling of Rude’s hand on his waist still lingered and he pressed his own hand there to try and replicate it. It wasn’t even close- there was no way he could mimic such a firm yet gentle touch like how Rude handled him.

Throwing himself onto his bed, he buried his face in one of his pillows and let out a frustrated noise. He had to try and focus more tomorrow night, or else he was never going to get better and these ‘lessons’ were never going to stop. He hated feeling so nervous, so emotionally vulnerable. Rude did things to his brain that he didn’t even think were possible. It was scary how much he loved Rude, how much he wanted to be touched and held close just like that, how much he wanted to rest his head against his chest and listen to him hum the rhythm that he needed to dance to. To feel the vibrations of his voice against his cheek and revel in them.

What was terrifying, though, was the fact that this was probably the only time he would ever get to do something like that with Rude. Once these lessons were over, he’d never be held like that by him ever again.

It hurt worse than every injury he’s ever got in his lifetime combined.


	2. Almost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well well, fancy meeting you here, partner.”
> 
> “You’re the one who knocked on my door.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! so i did a really cool thing called i had the last 2 chapters of this fic finished and then decided i hated them and got rid of them! so that's why it took so long for this one to come out, i'm really really sorry. i've got an ending in mind for this thats different than the original one i had so it might take me a bit to get it out, but i was finally able to push through my writers block and get this out. sorry if it's not as good as the first chapter :( but i hope you enjoy anyways..!

It had been way too long of a day, having too many errands to run even though Rude thought he had gotten through most of them the day before. He saw Reno briefly that morning, but not for long before he was sent off to finish what he started yesterday. Reno was late to work more often than not, so he had maybe talked to him for about 15 minutes. He found himself wishing that he had asked the other Turk to come with him, but in reality there was no reason to. It wasn’t like he couldn’t handle this stuff himself, he just missed the redhead.

Rude was incredibly fond of Reno, more than he probably should be. When he was first partnered with him years ago, he was sure it wasn’t going to last. They’re opposites in so many ways, and yet, that’s what made them work so well together. Reno was nimble and brash, quick to move and acted on a whim more often than not. Rude was strong, built like a wall and thought things through. They weren’t very synchronized at the start, but after years of being partners Rude felt like he could read Reno like a book, knowing every action he was going to do in battle and meet it with his own.

The closer they got, though, Rude felt himself start to like Reno’s presence more than he had before. At first he thought it was because they were finally friends,  _ real _ partners, but the longer time went on and they grew even closer, he realized that he liked having Reno around because he  _ liked _ him. More than someone normally liked another person. He had figured that maybe it was because they had been spending so much time together, approaching almost a year since he was partnered with him when he started to feel this way. That just maybe, he was confused, and that he was only feeling some kind of strong friendship bond. But with each month that went by, each mission he was sent on by himself, without his partner by his side, he started to realize it was more than that.

And now there he was, sitting on his bed waiting for a knock on his door from his beloved partner. He still had yesterday’s lesson in his head- the way Reno tensed at his touch, how the other seemed to be having a hard time paying attention to his instructions and movements, the way his face had the slightest blush dusted on his cheeks. He was so pretty and Rude wanted to do nothing more than to tell him that over and over until he was out of breath.

But he couldn’t. Rude would rather silence his feelings towards the other than speak up and ruin the bond they had between them. Despite the way Reno acted during their lesson last night, Rude was positive it was because the other was just embarrassed over the fact of having to get lessons in the first place. It wasn’t anything more,  _ couldn’t  _ be anything more.

Because Reno didn’t do relationships.

The redhead had claimed that feelings were “bullshit” and relationships were a “waste of time”, especially when you were in this field of work. It was part of the mini-rant the other went on after a woman that Rude had been dating broke up with him because she was working for Avalanche. He wasn’t sure what had hurt more that day: getting broken up with or Reno telling him that relationships were a waste of time. He had only taken interest in that woman because he was trying to  _ forget _ how much he liked Reno- and it didn’t even work.

There was a knock that pulled Rude out of his way too deep thoughts, then a pause, before two more knocks followed in quick succession. A smile tugged at Rude’s lips, knowing only one person who knocked like that- and the only person who would be knocking on his door this late anyways. He stood up and off his bed, opening the door and looking down at the man in front of him. Reno looked up at him with a grin, giving a wave. “Well well, fancy meeting you here, partner.”

“You’re the one who knocked on my door.” Rude said as he stepped back to let the other into his room. Reno laughed at his words, a sound that was music to Rude’s ears. His eyes followed Reno as he went to sit on his bed, the same way he did the night before. He immediately noticed that his hair was down instead of tied up with that silver band of his. The redhead made an exasperated sound as he laid down on Rude’s bed, his hair splaying out over his sheets like a burning hot fire. “Long day?”

“Wayyyy too long. You weren’t the only one with errands to do.” Reno said with a sigh, blowing hair out of his face. His arms were laid out, legs hanging off the side of the mattress, and Rude found himself unable to look away. Luckily Reno was staring at the ceiling with an annoyed look. “Feels like I ran across the entire HQ. My legs hurt like hell.” His face twisted into a pout, lifting his head a little to look at Rude. “So you’re lucky I’m even here.”

“How nice of you to grace me with your presence.” Rude mused, managing to pull his gaze away when Reno lifted his head to make it look as if he wasn’t just staring at him. Reno looked way too tempting on his bed like this, but not in the way most people would think. Rude wanted to lean over him, run his fingers through the long red strands of hair his partner possessed while he kissed him, slowly, perfectly. Instead, he held out his hand like he did last night, getting another sigh from the man below.

“Help me up.” Reno reached up both of his hands, making a grabby motion with his fingers. Rude huffed a quiet laugh, bringing his other hand forward and lacing their fingers together, very easily helping Reno get all the way up. He could’ve done it with only one hand no doubt but...he liked holding Reno’s hands like this, letting them linger for just a moment longer than he needed before letting them go. “Whoa,” Reno rocked back on his feet as if he was going to lose balance and fall, so Rude quickly reached out to help him, only to be met with a grin and a wink as the other let his feet rest flat on the ground. “Gotcha. Jeeze, you make me feel like I weigh nothing, man.”

Rude rolled his eyes at him, despite finding the action almost endearing. Little things like that made Rude’s heart hurt, having such an intense need to pull Reno into his arms and press a kiss to his forehead before scolding him lightly for messing with him, acting as if it annoyed him when it never really did. The only times he ever got truly annoyed with him was during fights- and it wasn’t even really  _ annoyed, _ it was more being worried about his reckless actions that came off as being annoyed. The thought of losing Reno was his biggest fear, because he wouldn’t know what to do with himself. Reno felt like a puzzle piece, that he himself wouldn’t be complete without him.

“Hellooo? Did I make you mad or somethin’?” Rude brought his attention back to the redhead looking up at him, who had lifted one of his hands up and tapped a finger on his nose. “It was just a joke.” The pout on his face was ridiculously cute and it made Rude’s chest tighten with that powerful urge again. He did his best to ignore it, shaking his head at Reno’s words.

“I’m not mad at you.”

“Oh! Good. I hate when you’re mad at me.” Reno crossed his arms, another smile finding its way to his face, though it wasn’t the same as the ones before. Rude didn’t like it- not the smile, but the way Reno seemed almost unsure of himself. “Uh...so,” The other started, rocking back on his heels again and pursing his lips like he was trying not to think too hard about something. He turned his eyes away from Rude and stared at the floor before speaking up again. “Are we gonna start or…?”

“Right.” Rude understood why he looked unsure now, knowing that Reno still wasn’t confident at all with slow dancing. Part of Rude felt bad, was it the fact that he was touching Reno? Was that why he seemed so nervous? The last thing he wanted to do was make Reno uncomfortable, but if it was really bothering him he probably would’ve said something. It would be hard to teach slow dancing without touching him anyways, but if that had been what Reno wanted, Rude would’ve done it in a heartbeat.

He reached his hand out to Reno again, who looked at it for a moment before placing his own hand in his palm, letting Rude adjust them both so they could bring their fingers together. Rude placed his hand on Reno’s waist again, feeling the other tense at his touch for a moment before he relaxed. Just barely, because he could still feel that he was a little tense, but he wasn’t going to say anything about it. Reno’s hand brushed against his own from where it was hanging beside him, it taking the other a moment to realize he needed to put his hand on his arm. Rude watched the other as he placed his hand on his arm, touch so gentle Rude would’ve thought the other was afraid to touch him.

“Good.” Rude gave praise to the other, even if it was just for getting in the right position. Reno looked up at him, a seemingly shy smile spreading across his face. Trying his best to ignore how said smile made his heart squeeze, he started their lesson, giving him easy instructions with a gentle voice and humming a rhythm to try and help Reno not trip up so often. It worked, for the most part, Reno catching on much easier than the night before. He seemed a little less nervous, which made Rude happy. It was odd to see Reno act without confidence- not that he hadn’t before, because there had been plenty of times where his work facade fell when they were alone and he looked as if he was going to break. Rude was always there for him though, to comfort him through it, despising the way this company messed with their heads but it wasn’t like he could do anything about it.

By the time their session was over, Reno seemed to follow his rhythm much better than before. This lesson had been a little longer than last night due to Rude getting lost in thought and Reno not wanting to stop because he was finally getting it, so it was pretty late. Reno sighed when Rude let go of him, once again falling down onto Rude’s bed as if it was his own. “Man, I’m tired.” He said with a yawn, stretching his arms, which made the shirt he was wearing ride up just enough so that his stomach peeked out. Rude took a glance at it but not for long, though it wasn’t like Reno was paying enough attention to catch him if he looked any longer. “I’m gettin’ better though, right?”

“You are.” A grin spread across Reno’s face at his praise, lowering his arms again and twisting himself in his bed so he was curled into himself. He looked so comfortable on his bed that Rude almost wanted him to stay. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t slept in the same bed before, nevermind this one, but...

“See, what did I tell ya? I’m gonna be  _ so _ good at dancing by the end of this week.” The redhead hummed, playing with a piece of his hair that fell over his shoulder when he moved. Rude watched him, wanting so desperately to reach out and comb his fingers through the long red strands. Instead he just shook his head, leaning against the wall and watched Reno close his eyes for a moment. “How many more lessons do you think I’ll need?”   
  
“Just one more, probably.” Rude could lie and say they needed to practice all the way up until the day of, but Reno probably wouldn’t even believe him. Or he’d insist he was good enough by himself and that he didn’t need practice. One more day would do, though, even if the thought made him kind of sad. Reno let out a sigh, not opening his eyes and curling into himself more like a cat.   
  
“Mm...one more. Gotcha.” Reno yawned, slowly opening his eyes to look over at Rude, who had to fight the urge to not make his way over to the bed and lay down next to him. It wouldn’t even be weird, it was  _ his _ bed, but even so. He watched as Reno uncurled himself and stretched, moving to get off his bed and started to head towards the door. “You want me here tomorrow then?”   
  
“If your schedule will allow it.”   
  
“Oh, well, my schedule is  _ super _ busy, y’know.” Reno said with a grin, looking over at him while he opened up the door. “But I’ll make time just for you, since you’re special and all.”   
  
“Special? I’m honored.” Rude said with a quiet laugh, waving Reno off. “Go to bed. It’s late.”   
  
“Never too late for me, partner. I’m a night owl, haven’t ‘cha heard?” Reno said while backing out of the room, Rude moving to watch him as his back hit the door to his own room, the redhead’s arms spread out. “I’m gonna stay up all night just because you told me to go to sleep.”   
  
“Don’t come crying to me when you’re exhausted.”   
  
“Cry? Nah, I would never. I’ll just be late to work like always.” The other playfully stuck his tongue out at him before giving him his usual salute. “Nighty-night, partner.” With that, he opened up his door and disappeared into his room. Rude closed his own door and sighed, shutting his eyes and standing there for a moment. He wished more than anything that he didn’t love Reno as much as he did. He could very easily play it off as just caring for him, but having to do something like this where he was close to him almost hurt. So close but it was just for a job, not because it was something real. Opening his eyes, he reached up and brushed his fingers against where Reno had positioned his hand on his arm while they danced. Two nights in a row his touch had barely been there but it was enough that Rude couldn’t forget how it felt. A nervous touch,  _ afraid _ even, and both of those words weren’t something that usually fit in a sentence when describing Reno’s personality.

Was it something he was doing? The question kept coming back to him and lingering. Reno would tell him if he was doing something he didn’t like, right? Maybe he should ask, but he also didn’t want to make him upset, so it’d probably be for the best to leave it at that. He let out another sigh, making his way to his bed and placing his shades on the nightstand before laying down. The spot where Reno had been laying was still warm and he ran his fingers over the fabric, so badly wanting the other to be there with him. Rude knew that would always just be a dream, though, the only time they really shared a bed was on missions or when Reno was drunk and knocked on his door, refusing to leave and usually ended up passing out in his bed. Could Rude easily carry Reno back to his own bed? Yeah, he could, but he never did. It was only awkward the first time it happened, but Rude didn’t even care anymore and it seemed like Reno didn’t either. He even stopped apologizing after the fifth time it happened. Sometimes they went out drinking together and Reno wouldn’t go back to his own room, since he was kind of clingy and didn’t like to be left alone when drunk, which started...rumors, that both of them denied. Because nothing ever happened, they just would sleep in the same bed and it didn’t mean anything to either of them. Rude so desperately wished it did, though.

  
Instead of thinking about that, he just rolled over and into the warmth, pulling the covers over him and he tried to clear his head. He was tired and he didn’t like to think about Reno before he fell asleep because sometimes it gave him dreams that made him wake up with such an intense yearning that it hurt. Unfortunately he does exactly that multiple nights a week, usually because Reno is the last person he sees and talks to before going to bed. Despite this, Rude let his eyes fall shut, the remnants of Reno’s warmth enveloping him and his mind, easing him to sleep.   
  
He always slept easier when Reno was in his bed, after all, and it was  _ almost _ the same thing. Almost.

**Author's Note:**

> leave a comment & kudos if you liked it, thank you for reading!!


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